


Panicked

by Hoodoo



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Night Terrors, Panic Attacks, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 04:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13310004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoodoo/pseuds/Hoodoo
Summary: You're prone to panic attacks. Rick helps bring you down.





	Panicked

**Author's Note:**

> From anon prompt: Could you write a nice and sweet fluffy fic? Something along the lines of the reader had a bad dream that resulted in a panic attack and Rick comforts her?
> 
> [hey. I take prompts. See my profile page for more info.]

It was dark. You were blind, and you were dying.

You were dying. Your heart was going to pound out of your chest. You can’t catch your breath. Pain knifed though you, constricting your muscles and making it even more difficult to breathe. You’re frozen and screaming inside and dying and dying and dyingdyingdying—

A small light flipped on.

You jumped, which made the panic worse, and reflexively strike out.

Your wrists were caught and you sob wordlessly.

“Baby girl?” Rick asked, his already raspy voice even deeper coming out of sleep.

You’re dying, but that voice and his hands grasping you were something solid on this slippery slope of fear.

Even just woken up, it doesn’t take Rick long to assess a situation. He saw your sweaty, flushed face, the tears leaking from your eyes; he heard the gaspy little half-breaths you’re taking; he can feel that every muscle in your body is stiff, frozen in a fight-or-flight struggle.

He immediately loosened his grip but doesn’t let you go. He kept physical contact with you, knowing if he released you completely the chances of laying hands on you again are slim; you’d either fight him tooth and nail or cower away and cry out in deeper fear. So he carefully opened his hands but slid them up your arms, to your shoulders.

You want to push him away, want to scream and flail and hide—

—but you’re as weak as a kitten and can’t.

There’s still pain in you, dull, throbbing, endless pain. Tears continually streamed down your cheeks. Nothing is right, everything is wrong—

Rick pulled you in tightly. His lanky body is surprisingly good at wrapping you up, surrounding you in his warmth and keeping you close to his chest.

“Baby girl, listen to me,” he murmurs.

He doesn’t say more than that. He doesn’t give you any other words to focus on, no guidance, you’re left still swinging in the wind grasping at anything to ground you—

His large hand, warm from being under the blankets, caresses the side of you head. He twines his fingers into your hair, and gently puts pressure on you to relax your neck muscles. You want to resist, your body tells you you need to be ready for action—

The pressure is gentle but relentless, and you give in. The side of your face, damp and hot from your tears rests on his chest. He doesn’t remove his hand, but pets your hair.

“Listen to me,” he repeats. He still doesn’t give you any more direction.

The pain in your chest is still real, still stabbing, you’re still dying—

The sound of his heartbeat pulses in your ear. It is steady and strong. Yours feels like it wants to be free of you, it’s racing so fast, but his is stable. The rhythm is . . . soothing.

Listen to me, he told you. 

Listen to his heart. Listen more closely, and hear his each breath that fills his lungs. Listen deeper, to the pops and tiny gurgles of his digestive tract, doing its work.

Listen, listen. 

He doesn’t say anything more. He doesn’t need to. He continues to pet your hair softly, until your sprinting heart slows and the pain dissipates.

Rick’s warmth and the constant sounds of him bring you back to now. They chase away the threat your brain tried to tell you was reality. 

His presence became a refuge; he lulled you back into security.

Before, you’d never trust to close your eyes after an attack. With him, you’re able to fall asleep again.

_fin._


End file.
